In the semiconductor area, a chip may carry a circuit, for example an IC (Integrated Circuit) implementing a potentially complex logic by a potentially large number of circuit elements, for example in the field of low voltages, low currents, and/or low frequencies. Other chips, for example power semiconductor chips in the field of high voltage, high current, and/or high frequency applications, may implement only one or a few number of semiconductor or circuit elements, such as a power transistor, a power diode, etc.
There is a tendency to implement more and more applications in the electric and electronic field in a chip-based fashion. This may include power applications to be implemented by means of chip-based power semiconductor elements such as power transistors, power diodes, etc., and may additionally or alternatively include, for example, HV (High Voltage)-enabled control logic for controlling such power elements. A power application may include, for example, a power supply, a power converter, a switched-mode converter, an alternating current (AC)/direct current (DC) converter, a DC/DC converter, etc. Such applications may be employed in diverse equipment such as in the fields of power supplies for personal computer (PC) components, electronic lighting equipment, battery-based equipment, etc.
When implementing a HV application in a single-chip or multi-chip device, for example a multi-chip package or multi-chip module (MCM), high voltages may occur between contact terminals of the device. The respective contact terminals therefore have to be spaced apart by sufficient isolation distances to minimize creepage currents (leakage currents). Depending on voltage, a pair of contact terminals may have to be separated by a spacing in the range of, for example, millimeters or more. Adherence to predefined creepage distances may in this way lead to an increase in device size, which in turn may lead to an increase in costs.
Consequently, there is a general need for cost-efficient solutions in the field of high voltage applications.